


Book 2: Earth

by avatar_dragon_rider



Series: ATLA OC Rewrite [4]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Canon Rewrite, F/M, Gen, Major Original Character(s), Original Character(s), entire episodes are chapters, oc-insert
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-29
Updated: 2017-01-29
Packaged: 2018-09-20 14:48:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9496493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/avatar_dragon_rider/pseuds/avatar_dragon_rider
Summary: This is a rewrite of the Avatar: The Last Airbender TV series to include my OCs. I do not own ATLA. All rights to the series belong to the creators. This is written purely for my own enjoyment and the enjoyment of anyone who wants to read it





	1. The Guru

The smell of breakfast wafted throughout the apartment. Iroh stood before the stove, stirring a pot of some sort of thick broth, while Jei perched on the table, preening the feathers on her right arm. Both of their heads turned when Zuko walked into the room, his hand over his mouth to cover a yawn.

“What’s that smell?” Zuko asked.

“It’s jook,” Iroh answered. He lifted the ladle out of the goop and a drop fell back into the pot. “I’m sure you wouldn’t like it.”  
“I know I don’t,” Jei said, wrinkling her nose at the smell of the broth.

Zuko stepped forward and leaned over the pot, smelling the broth. “Actually, it smells delicious. I’d love a bowl, Uncle.” He held an empty bowl towards his uncle, smiling a little.

Iroh raised an eyebrow, but poured some jook into Zuko’s bowl. “Now that your fever is gone, you seem different somehow.”

“It’s a new day,” Zuko said as he sat on a pillow next to the table Jei currently occupied. “We’ve got a new apartment, new furniture, and today’s the grand opening of your new tea shop. Things are looking up, Uncle.” He looked out the window as he took a sip of the jook, ignoring Jei’s flabbergasted look. Off to the side, Iroh’s shocked expression melted into a smile.

<><><><>

Appa landed on a cliff overlooking Chameleon Bay. Water Tribe ships floated in the bay, and the tribe’s camp spread out along the beach. Aang, Na li, and Sokka sat on Appa’s head, Aang sitting in the middle between Na li and Sokka.

“You haven’t seen your dad in over two years,” Aang said, turning to Sokka. “You must be so excited!” On his right, Na li leaned out a bit to smile at Sokka.

Sokka seemed anything but excited. He covered his hand with his mouth to keep himself from throwing up. “I know I should be, but, I just feel sick to my stomach.” He hugged his stomach, looking pale.

“Don’t be nervous.” Aang placed a hand on Sokka’s shoulder. “He’s gonna be so happy to see you.”

“Yeah,” Na li agreed, offering a soft smile. “I’m sure he’s missed you just as much as you’ve missed him.”

Sokka smiled a little. “So what about you? Are you guys nervous to meet this guru?”

“Not at all,” Aang answered. “I’m ready to master the Avatar State. I’ll do whatever it takes.”

Sokka nodded then leaned forward a little to look at Na li. “And you, Nal?”

Na li looked out over the water at the Water Tribe ships. “I’ll admit, it’s nerve-wracking. I have no idea what’s going to happen when we start the whole process. But I think Aang’s right. We need to do whatever we can to master the Avatar State and Dragon State. I’m ready if he is.” She nudged Aang, who smiled at her.

Sokka nodded and slid off of Appa’s head. Once he was clear, Aang yelled down “See you in a week!” then to Appa, “Yip yip!” and the bison took off.

<><><><>

Appa flew smoothly across the Earth Kingdom to the Eastern Air Temple. The whole time, Na li seemed to get increasingly nervous. Giving her a sideways glance and a reassuring smile, Aang took her hand and squeezed it, trying to tell her they’d be fine without revealing his own nerves. Thankfully, Na li smiled back, though she didn’t look any less tense.

Eventually, the triple towers of the Eastern Air Temple appeared before them, getting larger as they got closer. Both kids let out a sigh, trying to keep themselves calm for the other’s sake. Appa landed at the foot of a stone stairway that spiraled up to a meditation platform, where a tan, bony man with a big white beard sat in a meditating position.

“Um, hello?” Aang called up. Upon receiving no answer, the kids shrugged at each other and climbed the stairs to the top, where Aang spoke again. “You’re Guru Pathik, right? The person who attached the note to Appa’s horn?”

“Indeed,” Pathik answered without opening his eyes or moving. “I was a spiritual brother of your people, and a personal friend of Monk Gyatso.”

Aang and Na li looked at each other, then sat down beside one another as Na li spoke up. “In your note, you said you could teach us to control our Spiritual States. How?”

“You must gain balance within yourself,” Pathik said, “before you can bring balance to the world. And the first step to gaining balance begins with this.” He handed them each a bowl full of a strange yellow liquid. “Drink up!”

Aang and Na li looked into their bowls, then at each other, before taking a sip. Na li’s eyes widened in amazement and recognition, and she downed the bowl in a few gulps. Aang, however, spit his right back out again, almost hitting Na li in the face.

“It tastes like onion and banana juice!” he complained, giving Na li a sideways glare; she’d always had a certain fondness for the odd food, though why, he had no idea.

“That’s because it is!” Pathik drained his own bowl in one gulp, then held it upside down over his head. “Yum yum!”

Aang blinked, and Na li smiled. “I like this guy,” she said, and Aang gave her a shocked look.

<><><><>

Aang and Na li stood with Guru Pathik in a cave, next to one of seven pools of water with moss floating in them. Pathik held a long stick in his hand. Aang and Na li had both removed their shoes and shirts, though Na li had kept ker red-orange breast wrap to preserve her modesty.

Pathik spoke up. “In order to master the Spiritual States, you must open all the chakras.” He turned to the kids. “Aang, Na li, tell me everything you know about chakras.”

“What are chakras?” Aang asked, rubbing his eye. Na li covered her mouth with her hand as she yawned.

“Oh, I see.” Pathik sighed. “I guess we’ll start with the basics.” He turned back to the water pool, stirring it a little with his stick. “The water flows through this creek, much like the energy flows through your body. As you see, there are several pools where the water swirls around before flowing on. These pools are like our chakras.”

“So, chakras are pools of spiraling energy in our bodies?” Aang summarized.

“Exactly,” Pathik affirmed.

“No wonder I always feel dizzy,” Na li teased. “Energy is constantly spinning inside me.”

Pathik chuckled before continuing. “If nothing else were around, this creek would flow pure and clear. However, life is messy, and things tend to fall in the creek. And then what happens?”

“The creek can’t flow?” Na li guessed.

“Yes. But, if we open the ponds between the pools…” He lifted some of the moss that had gotten stuck in the exit, and the water flowed from pool to pool.

“The energy flows!” Aang and Na li said together. They looked at Pathik, and the three shared a smile.

<><><><>

Later that morning, in a cavern near the temple, Aang and Na li sat side by side, facing Pathik. All three sat in a meditating position.

“There are seven chakras that go up the body,” Pathik explained. “Each pool of energy has a purpose, and can be blocked by a specific kind of emotional muck. Be warned: opening the chakras is an intense experience, and once you begin this process, you cannot stop until all seven are open. Are you ready?”

Aang and Na li briefly looked at each other, the latter giving the former a small nod, before both look at Pathik again. “We’ll do whatever it takes,” Aang said.

Pathik nodded, then continued. “First we will open the Earth Chakra, located at the base of the spine. It deals with survival, and is blocked by fear. What are you most afraid of? Let your fears become clear to you.”

Aang and Na li closed their eyes, meditating on their fears. Most of the images they saw were of their friends in danger; some of the visions were from when they thought they would die. When they opened their eyes, they found themselves in a ring of fire, the shadows of Firelord Ozai and Jei the Phoenix Girl before them. Aang and Na li both screamed; Aang’s right arm crossed over his body as if to shield Na li, and his eyes shut tight, while Na li clung to Aang’s left arm and buried her face in his shoulder to hide.

“Aang, Na li,” came Pathik’s voice, “your visions are not real. You are concerned for your survival and the survival of one another. But you must surrender those fears. Let your fears flow down the creek.”

Aang and Na li, their eyes still closed, slowly released each other and returned to their original positions. Soon, the ring of fire and the shadows of their enemies disappeared, and their chakras were cleared.

“You have opened your Earth Chakra,” Pathik announced.

Aang and Na li both sighed―her with her hand on her chest, him wiping sweat from his forehead―then smiled at Guru Pathik.

<><><><>

The next morning, the trio was on a cliff behind a waterfall, sitting in the same positions as before. Once the kids were ready, Pathik spoke. “Next is the―”

“Water Chakra?” Aang guessed.

“Brilliant! Maybe one day you will be a guru, too!”

“Guru Goody-Goody, probably.” Na li snickered, and Aang rolled his eyes at her.

Pathik continued as if their bickering was all part of the process. “This chakra deals with pleasure and is blocked by guilt. Now, look at the guilt which burdens you so. What do you blame yourself for?”

The first image was the same for both of them: the night they left the Southern Air Temple. “We ran away,” Na li said.

The next image was of Aang in the Avatar State, destroying General Fong’s base because he thought Katara had been killed. “I hurt all of those people,” Aang said.

“Accept the reality that these things happened,” Pathik said, “but do not let them cloud and poison your energy. If you are to be positive influences on the world, you need to forgive yourselves.”

Aang and Na li took a simultaneous deep breath, and released it slowly together. Their eyes still closed in meditation, they smiled as their chakras were opened.

<><><><>

Iroh, Zuko, and Jei stood at the front of the tea shop Iroh had opened, watching the customers come trickling in. “Who would have thought when we came to this city as refugees,” Iroh said, “that I’d end up owning my own tea shop?”

“Certainly not me,” Jei said, her arms crossed and her phoenix eyes darting around the room, as if waiting for someone to jump out and attack her. “Though I must admit, this is very beautiful., Iroh.”

“Yes, it is.” Iroh nodded in agreement. “This is what happens when you set your heart and mind to what you want to achieve. Follow your passion, Zuko, and life will reward you.”

“Congratulations, Uncle,” Zuko said with a smile.

“I’m very thankful.”

“You deserve it.” Zuko looked at his uncle. “The Jasmine Dragon will be the best tea shop in the city.”

“No.” Iroh shook his head. “I am thankful because the two of you decided to share this special day with me.” He looked at Jei and smiled warmly at her. “It means more than you know.”

Jei smiled back and pecked Iroh’s cheek. Zuko and Iroh then shared a short, loving embrace, before Zuko pulled away and said “Now let’s make these people some tea.” He retreated into the kitchen to prepare the pots. Jei grabbed her order sheet and began waiting the tables.

“Yes!” Iroh said excitedly, following his nephew. “Let’s make some tea!”

<><><><>

Aang, Na li, and Guru Pathik sat on a ledge that wrapped around one of the cliffs supporting the temple’s towers. Aang sat between Na li and Pathik, with the latter on his left and the former on his right. The trio faced the rising sun, watching the light wash over the land.

“Third is the Fire Chakra,” Pathik said, “located in the stomach.”

“My Fire Chakra would like to eat something other than onion-banana juice,” Aang complained, holding his stomach.

Na li giggled at him. “Your Fire Chakra obviously has poor taste.”

“So does yours,” Aang shot back.

Pathik chuckled at them. “Good one! Moving on.” Once Aang and Na li straightened up, Pathik continued. “This chakra deals with willpower, and is blocked by shame. What are you ashamed of? What are your biggest disappointments in yourselves?”

Aang flashed back to the day he was training with Jeong Jeong, and he’d gotten overexcited at Firebending and accidentally burned Katara. Na li initially struggled finding something she was ashamed of, never having been the shameful one to begin with, but eventually she latched onto that same memory. She remembered the guilt she’d felt, how ashamed she was that she hadn’t been paying attention and could have stopped the fire from burning Katara, how upset and angry she’d been at herself for letting Aang feel that way about his abilities. Both of them had vowed to never Firebend again, Aang out of guilt, Na li out of sympathy for Aang, though she’d broken her vow numerous times already in battle.

“We’re never gonna Firebend again,” Aang said, voicing exactly what Na li couldn’t. “We can’t.”

“You will never find balance if you deny this part of your lives,” Pathik said. “You are the Avatar and Demi Dragon, and therefore, you are Firebenders.”

Aang and Na li each breathed deeply, and their chakras opened.

“Hmm,” Pathik remarked. “That chakra opened less like a flowing creek, and more like a… burping bison.”

As if on cue, Aang belched loudly, and Na li fell onto her side from laughter. “Tastes like onions and bananas,” Aang said, “but strangely, something else. Pickles?” He looked at Pathik, who merely shrugged.

<><><><>

Pathik and the Airbenders sat in a courtyard, a large statue of an Airbender woman sitting beside them, facing them. Who was pictured in the statue, Aang and Na li didn’t know. It might have been an influential Airbender woman, it might have been Avatar Yangchen. Who could tell?

“The fourth chakra is located in the heart,” Pathik explained. “It deals with love and is blocked by grief.”

As Pathik said “love,” Na li glanced at Aang and smiled a little, while Aang did the same to the statue. But at the word “grief,” their smiles faded and their gazes returned to Pathik.

“Lay all your grief out in front of you,” Pathik said, and the Airbenders closed their eyes.

When Aang and Na li opened their eyes, they saw a vision of themselves sitting in the clouds, side by side. Before them appeared all the monks they had known at the Southern Air Temple, with Monk Gyatso in the front. Aang and Na li smiled, but then the Air Nomads started to disappear in puffs of clouds. The Airbender kids were pulled backward; Aang reached out for the Nomads while Na li’s hands covered her heart, and she looked away.

“You have indeed felt a great loss,” came Pathik’s voice. As he continued to speak, the Air Nomads appeared in the clouds in front of them, floating, and Aang and Na li rose into the air in a funnel of clouds. “But love is a form of energy, and it swirls all around us. The Air Nomads’ love for you has not left this world. It is still inside of your hearts, and is reborn in the form of new love.”

A large cloud rose up in front of them, and took the shape of two people, one of them holding a baby. The image cleared, and it became Aang and Na li. Na li lay against Appa’s saddle, a bundle in her arms. Aang sat beside her, both of them looking at the bundle in her arms. The real Aang and Na li looked at each other in confusion and surprise before their spirits returned to their bodies.

“Let the pain flow,” Pathik said. Aang and Na li wiped the tears from under their eyes as their chakras were opened. “Very good.”

Aang sat up a little straighter. “Can I have some onion-banana juice, please?”

Beside him, Na li smiled.

<><><><>

The trio sat in another part of the temple, surrounded by walls with statues. A huge statue of Avatar Yangchen sat in a meditation position beside them, one side of her body turned to rubble from the attack on the temple a hundred years ago.

“The fifth in the chain is the Sound Chakra,” Pathik said, “located in the throat. It deals with truth, and is blocked by lies. The ones we tell ourselves.”

Aang and Na li flashed back to when Katara and Sokka first found out they were the Avatar and Demi Dragon. “ _Why didn’t you tell us you were the Avatar and Demi Dragon?”_ she had asked.

“Because we never wanted to be,” Aang had answered, both in the vision and in the physical world.

“You cannot lie about your own nature,” Pathik said. “You must accept that you _are_ the Avatar and Demi Dragon.”

Aang and Na li saw a vision of themselves standing on a high cliff, side by side, staring down at the ground below them. They exhaled, and their chakra was opened.

“Very good, kids,” Pathik said. “You have opened the chakra of truth.”

<><><><>

For the next chakra, Pathik had taken the kids to a winding staircase that wrapped around the trunk of one of the towers. Pathik sat on a step, Aang on the one to his right one step down, and Na li to Aang’s right one step down.

“The sixth pool of energy is the Light Chakra, located in the center of the forehead,” Pathik explained. “It deals with insight, and is blocked by illusion. The greatest illusion of this world is the illusion of separation. Things you think are separate and different are actually one and the same.”

“Like the four nations,” Aang said.

“Yes. We are all one people, but we live as if divided.”

“We’re all connected,” Na li said. “Everything is connected.”

“That’s right,” Pathik agreed. “Even the separation of the four elements is an illusion. If you open your mind, you will see that all the elements are one. Four parts of the same whole. Even metal is just a part of earth that has been purified and refined.”

Katara walked through the Upper Ring, heading to the royal palace. Momo sat on her shoulder. She stopped when she approached a tea shop titled “The Jasmine Dragon.”

“What do you say, Momo?” she asked the lemur. “A cup of tea before we get back to the king?”

Momo chittered in response, and Katara walked into the shop. Upon reaching the greeters, who both bowed to her, she asked for a table for two, then froze as she recognized the people in the shop.

A girl with golden eyes was waiting the tables, smiling as though she enjoyed it but was still anxious for closing time. Her pupils were slits. Then Prince Zuko spoke up: “Uncle! I need two jasmine, one green and one leechee!”

“I’m brewing as fast as I can!” Iroh called back from the kitchen.

Katara’s mouth fell open in shock and terror, and she ran from the shop.

<><><><>

It was nearly midnight, and Aang, Na li, and Guru Pathik sat in their usual formation on top of the tallest tower. The stars shone above them, the moon providing the only light.

“This is the last chakra, isn’t it?” Aang asked.

“Yes,” Pathik confirmed. “Once you open this chakra, you will be able to go in and out of the Avatar State and Dragon State at will. And when you are in your Spiritual States, you will have complete control and awareness of all your actions.”

Aang and Na li shared a determined look, then turned back to Pathik. “Let’s do this,” they said in sync.

“The Thought Chakra is located at the crown of the head,” Pathik said. “It deals with pure cosmic energy, and is blocked by earthly attachment. Meditate on what attaches you to this world.”

Aang saw several visions of Katara, such as when he gave her the flower necklace, when they bent the clouds together to warn the fortuneteller’s town of the approaching volcanic eruption, and when they kissed in the Cave of Two Lovers. Na li, however, saw various images of Aang, ranging from as young as toddlers to current events; the kiss on Appa’s back the night they got trapped in the iceberg was the last vision.

“Now,” came Pathik’s voice, “let all of those attachments go. Let them flow down the river, forgotten.”

Aang and Na li came crashing back to Earth. Before Na li could say anything, Aang spoke up. “What? Why would I let go of Katara? I…” He stuttered a little, then said the one thing that could possibly allow Na li to open that chakra: “I love her!” At that statement, Na li turned away, closing her eyes to keep the tears at bay.

“Learn to let her go,” Pathik said calmly, “or you cannot let the pure cosmic energy flow in from the universe.”

“Why would I choose cosmic energy over Katara?” Aang asked, almost mockingly. “How could it be a bad thing that I feel an attachment to her? Three chakras ago that was a good thing!”

“You must learn to let go,” Pathik insisted.

Aang looked down, biting his lip. Na li glanced at him in concern, her eyes shining with her unshed tears.

<><><><>

“I’m sorry,” Aang said, a hint of finality in his voice, “but I can’t let go of Katara.”

“Aang…” Na li started, but trailed off when she noticed how frail her voice sounded. It had taken all her willpower to keep her voice from cracking, and she still sounded heartbroken. She was saved from being questioned when Pathik spoke up again:

“Aang, to master the Avatar State, you must open all the chakras.” Pathik spoke firmly, but not in a threatening way. Rather, he sounded like he was trying to coax Aang into giving in and opening the chakra. “Surrender yourself.”

Aang sighed in defeat. “Okay. I’ll try.” He closed his eyes and returned to meditation. Na li locked eyes with Pathik, who nodded at her, then exhaled as she closed her eyes as well.

Aang and Na li watched as the stars started falling from the sky in their vision. Ghostly purple forms of Katara and Aang appeared before Aang and Na li respectively, then faded into the stars as Pathik’s voice cut into the vision: “Now think of your attachments, and let them go. Let the pure cosmic energy flow.”

The vision changed. Aang found himself standing on a bridge of purple light above the Earth. Na li stood on a bridge of blue light on the other side. In front of them were giant apparitions of them in their Spiritual States; Aang was in the Avatar State, his eyes and arrows glowing, while Na li was in her full dragon form. Aang’s apparition appeared dark purple, while Na li’s was dark blue.

They looked at each other from across the Earth, the humans looking like tiny specks compared to the huge apparitions. They turned their attention back to their giant forms, and slowly walked toward them. As they got closer, Aang’s tattoos began to glow, while Na li started to shift into a miniature version of her dragon form. A sphere of energy swirled around them, held between the hands of their respective apparitions like balls. Na li’s eyes closed, but Aang’s snapped open when he heard a shriek. He looked to the side and saw a vision of Katara in chains. Aang gasped and ran from his apparition, which faded behind him, along with the bridge. Aang’s spirit came crashing down to the Earth, and Aang’s physical eyes opened.  
“Katara’s in danger!” he announced, jumping to his feet. “I have to go!” He leaped down the tower, stopping when he heard Pathik’s voice.

“No Aang! By choosing attachment, you have locked the chakra!” Pathik stood at the end of the tower’s roof, looking down at Aang. “If you leave now, you won’t be able to go into the Avatar State at all!”

Aang hesitated, but leapt off the roof anyway, flying away on Appa.

Pathik looked down, saddened and concerned, before hearing a snarl from behind him. He turned, and saw Na li’s eyes open, her pupils slit like a dragon’s. She was in her full dragon form, her Dragon State. She stood up, rising into the air using her wings. Pathik smiled, watching the wind swirl around her. Na li turned her head to the sky and roared, loud and clear, announcing to the world that the Demi Dragon was in control of her Dragon State.

Na li lowered herself back the the ground, and with an exhale, exited her Dragon State. Pathik came toward her, smiling brightly. “Congratulations, Demi Dragon Na li. You have mastered the Dragon State.”

Na li smiled back at Pathik. “I can’t thank you enough, Guru Pathik.” As if suddenly realizing something wasn’t right, she looked around her. “Where’s Aang?”

Pathik’s smile faded. “I am afraid he has left the temple.”

“What?!” Na li’s eyes held too many emotions to pinpoint just one: anger, fear, shock, sadness.

“He received a vision of your friend Katara in danger, and left to save her. By doing this, he has locked his chakra and cannot access the Avatar State until he opens it.”

Na li nodded in understanding. “I should go after him. He’ll need me to protect him.” She bowed to Guru Pathik in the Earth Kingdom fashion. “It has been a pleasure training with you, Guru Pathik.”

Pathik bowed back to her. “The pleasure is mine, dear Demi Dragon. I wish you the best of luck.”

“Thanks.” Na li smiled. “I’ll need it.” Her eyes flashed dragon, and she spread her wings and took off, following Appa’s scent trail in the air.

<><><><>

Hakoda herded his men onto the ship, then placed a hand on Sokka’s shoulder as his son approached him. “Ready to go knock some Fire Nation heads?”

“You don’t know how much this means to me, Dad,” Sokka said. “I’ll make you proud. And I’ll finally prove to you what a great warrior I am.”

“Sokka, you don’t have to prove anything to me. I’m already proud of you, and I’ve always known you’re a great warrior.”

“Really?” Sokka looked bewildered.

Hakoda smirked. “Why do you think I trusted you to look after our tribe when I left?”

Sokka nodded, and had just started to follow his father up the ramp when he heard Appa growl. He stopped and turned just in time to watch the bison land on the sand. Aang looked at him from Appa’s head, looking scared and upset.

“This can’t be good news,” Sokka said, sounding a little disappointed. He ran to Appa and climbed up to sit beside Aang, the Avatar giving him a little air boost. As they flew away, Sokka looked back at his father, who grinned at him.

“Whoa!” Aang yelled, and Appa veered sharply to the left to avoid hitting Na li.

Sokka yelped. “Where did she come from?!”

“Where do you think, genius?” Na li sassed as she landed on Appa’s head on Aang’s other side, her wings shrinking back into her back. “The Eastern Air Temple. I mastered my Dragon State.”

“Excellent!” Sokka gave her a high five above Aang’s head. “What about you, Aang?”

“I’ll tell you later,” Aang said, a little too quickly. “We have bigger problems. Katara’s in trouble.”


	2. The Crossroads of Destiny

Appa flew over the Earth Kingdom plains, scaring an ostrich-horse that had been drinking from a stream. The sun was hot, signaling the approach of summer, but the three kids on Appa’s head couldn’t feel it at all over the wind.

“So what kind of trouble is Katara in?” Sokka asked.

“I don’t know,” Aang replied, clinging to Appa’s reins like it was his lifeline. “In my vision, I just knew she needed help.”

“It’d be nice if your Avatar powers could be just a little more specific from time to time.”

“You have no idea,” Na li agreed with a roll of her eyes.

Aang was about to retort, but was cut off when Sokka pointed to the ground, yelling “What is that!”

“That” just so happened to be Toph. As Appa flew down to get a closer look, the kids saw that Toph was running across the ground using her Earthbending to propel her forward.

“Need a ride?!” Sokka yelled to her. He ended up breaking her concentration, and she fell back. Na li, Aang, and Sokka all winced from the impact.

<><><><>

“So how did it go with the guru?” Toph asked as Appa flew over the Outer Wall of Ba Sing Se. She clung to Sokka’s arm like her life depended on it, staring blankly ahead. “Na li said she mastered her Dragon State, but what about you, Aang? Did you master the Avatar State?”

“Uhh…” Aang glanced away, flashing back to what Guru Pathik had said when he left the temple: _If you leave now, you won’t be able to go into the Avatar State at all!_

“Aang, are you okay?” Sokka asked, pulling Aang from his thoughts.

“Oh, I’m great!” Aang lied, putting on a fake smile that Na li could see straight through―Toph too, if she had been on the ground. “It went great with the guru. I completely mastered the Avatar State.” He laughed nervously, ignoring Na li’s pointed stare. “Yeah…”

 _“You and I both know you left before you could unlock your chakra,”_ Na li whispered to Aang in her native language.

 _“I know,”_ Aang whispered back, using the same tongue. He glanced at Sokka and Toph, who were lost in their own conversation about Toph inventing Metalbending.

_“So what are you gonna do? You can’t keep it from them forever.”_

_“I’ll cross that road when I get to it,”_ Aang assured her. Na li just sighed, looking like she knew the future and didn’t like what she saw ahead.

<><><><>

Iroh, Jei, and Zuko sat around a table in front of the small throne in the Earth King’s royal tea chamber. Jei picked at her nails while Iroh poured some tea into a cup.

“What’s taking so long?” Zuko asked.

“Maybe the Earth King overslept,” Iroh suggested.

Jei shook her head. “No, that is not the problem here. I have a very bad feeling something is wrong.”

As if on cue, Dai Li agents walked into the room, standing in perfect formation around the table. “Something’s not right,” Zuko whispered, watching them out of the corner of his eye. Beside him, Jei’s eyes narrowed and smoke curled off her arms.

Then, all of a sudden, Azula was there, pacing behind the ring of agents. “It’s tea time,” she said.

“Azula!” Zuko said as he shot to his feet, his hands balled into fists at his sides.

“Have you met the Dai Li?” Azula asked, as if introducing two friends to one another. “They’re Earthbenders, but they have a killer instinct that’s so Firebender. I just love it.”

“You want killer instinct?” Jei snarled. “I will give you killer instinct!” White-hot fire flared in her fists, but before she could fire, two of the agents shot their earth gloves at her, restraining her. Their control of the earth around her prevented Jei from using her bending to melt the rocks.

Iroh calmly stood up, picking up his teacup as he did so. “Did I ever tell you how I got the nickname ‘The Dragon of the West’?”

“I’m not interested in a lengthy anecdote, Uncle,” Azula said, sounding bored, looking at her nails rather than her family.

“It’s more of a demonstration, really.” Iroh sipped his tea, and Zuko smirked before grabbing Jei and ducking behind his uncle. Iroh suddenly unleashed a breath of fire from his mouth, turning in a circle to scorch the Dai Li agents, who all put up their arms to block the blast. Zuko blasted a hole in the wall, jumping through it with Jei and Iroh in tow, Iroh still breathing fire at the agents. Zuko and Jei ran down the corridor, Iroh soon following. The Dai Li shot their gloves at the trio, managing to catch Jei since she was slower due to the earth shackles around her, but Iroh and Zuko avoided the attack.

Iroh generated lightning and blasted the next wall, then jumped through it and landed on a shrub outside. When he saw Zuko hesitate and look back, he called up, “Come on! You’ll be fine!”

“No!” Zuko called back down. “I’m tired of running. It’s time I faced Azula!” He turned and ran back down the corridor, while Iroh slapped his forehead and ran off.

Zuko turned and faced Azula. On either side of her stood her Dai Li agents, three of them restraining Jei. “You’re so dramatic,” Azula said. “What, are you going to challenge me to an Agni Kai?”

“Yes!” Zuko said forcefully. “I challenge you!”

“No thanks.”

Zuko shot a powerful blast of fire at his sister, which the agents easily stopped with a rock wall. Another agent shot his rock gloves at Zuko’s feet, causing him to stumble and place his hand on the ground, which was then trapped by a third rock glove. Zuko struggled, but failed to break free. Azula smiled as she turned and walked away, and the Dai Li agents closed in.

<><><><>

Aang, Na li, Sokka, and Toph all stood in a line in front of the Earth King. Aang had explained what he’d seen, but he had not expected what King Kuei had to say about it.

“Katara’s fine,” the king insisted. “You have nothing to worry about.”

Aang stepped forward. “But, in my vision, I felt so sure that she was in trouble.”

Kuei thought for a moment, his hand on his chin. “Well, she met with the Council of Generals to plan the invasion, and since then, she’s been off with your friends, the Kyoshi Warriors.”

“See Aang?” Sokka said. “She’s with Suki. They’re probably back at our apartment right now talking about makeup or something.”

“Okay. Maybe you’re right.” Aang looked down at the floor, but didn’t seem very convinced.

“Believe me,” Kuei said, “if there was any danger at all, Bosco’s animal instincts would sense it.” As if on cue, the bear lifted his head to look at the kids.

Na li stepped forward and knelt before the king. “With all due respect, Your Excellency,” she said. “I have animal instincts as well, and though I trust your judgement, I cannot shake the feeling that something is wrong. Very wrong.”

Kuei sat forward in his chair a little. “What is it that you sense, Demi Dragon?”

Na li stood up and looked at Kuei, blue eyes staring right into his green ones. “Something’s coming. Something big. Something…bad. I know it.” She looked back at her friends, then at the king. “All I can tell you is to be careful who you trust. Something tells me that your life―all our lives―depend on picking the right allies…and knowing which ones wear a mask.”

<><><><>

Deep beneath the palace, in the Crystal Catacombs of Old Ba Sing Se, Katara paced back and forth. She only stopped when she heard the tunnel door open, and looked up.

“You’ve got company,” said the Dai Li agent. His companion threw two people down the tunnel, then closed the door. When the people looked up, Katara’s stomach plummeted.

“You two!” Her look of shock instantly turned to a look of anger, and her fists clenched at her sides.

<><><><>

Aang opened the door to the apartment, leading the other three inside. Instantly, Momo raced toward the Airbender and climbed up to his shoulders. Aang greeted his pet while the others looked around.

“There’s no one else here,” Toph said.

“Katara is in trouble,” Aang said. “I knew it!”

“Oh no,” Sokka said, his face falling in fear and worry.

“We have to find her, now,” Na li said. She turned toward the door, but stopped hearing Toph’s voice.

“Wait!” said the Earthbender. “Someone’s at the door.” A second later came a knock. “Actually, I know who it is.” Toph walked toward the door, opening it to reveal Iroh. “It’s an old friend of mine. Glad to see you’re okay.”

“I need your help,” Iroh said. Na li, Aang, and Sokka all gasped.

“You guys know each other?!” Aang exclaimed, pointing at Toph and Iroh in outrage. Na li’s pupils slit and she gripped her sword hilt in anticipation of a fight.

“I met him in the woods once and knocked him down,” Toph explained. Iroh smiled nervously, rubbing the back of his head. “Then he gave me tea and some very good advice.”

“May I come in?” Iroh asked. Toph nodded, then let Iroh come inside before closing the door. Iroh turned to the kids. “Princess Azula is here in Ba Sing Se.”

“She must have Katara,” Aang guessed.

“She has captured my nephew as well.”

“Then we’ll work together to fight Azula.” Aang crossed his arms. “And save Katara and Zuko.”

“Whoa there!” Sokka stepped toward Aang. “You lost me at ‘Zuko’.”

“I know how you must feel about my nephew,” Iroh said, stepping up to Sokka and placing a hand on his shoulder. “But believe me when I tell you there is good inside him.”

“Good _inside_ him isn’t enough!” Sokka brushed off Iroh’s hand. “Why don’t you come back when it’s _outside_ him too, okay?”

“Katara’s in trouble,” Aang said. “All of Ba Sing Se is in trouble. Working together is our best chance.”

Sokka nodded, though he still didn’t look too happy about it.

“Okay,” Na li spoke up, making everyone’s attention turn to her. She’d been so quiet the whole time, they’d almost forgotten she was there. “We know what we have to do, but we still have no idea where Katara and Zuko are being kept.” Na li looked pointedly at Iroh, as if she suspected he wasn’t telling them everything. She had connected the dots Aang failed to see: If Zuko and Iroh were there, then Jei would be too. And if Iroh was there, and Zuko was captured, then where was Jei?

“I brought someone along who might be able to help us.” Iroh turned and walked outside, leading the group to a tied-up Dai Li agent with a scar across his face. Toph bent an earth done around him, immobilizing him. Na li drew her sword halfway out of its sheath, daring the agent to try anything. Iroh stepped forward and pulled the gag down so the agent could speak.

“Azula and Long Feng are plotting a coup,” he said. “They’re going to overthrow the Earth King.”

“My sister!” Sokka said, pointing his machete at the agent. “Where are they keeping Katara?”

“In the Crystal Catacombs of Old Ba Sing Se, deep beneath the palace.”

<><><><>

Katara paced angrily. It was bad enough that she had to be captured and thrown in this crystal prison, but now she had to deal with the Fire Prince and his little protector too?

Katara stopped pacing and turned to Zuko, who sat with his back to her, Jei beside him, shooting evil glares over her shoulder at Katara. “Why did they throw you two in here?” Katara asked angrily. When she got no response, she continued, “Oh wait, let me guess, it’s a trap. So that when Aang shows up to help me you can finally have him in your little Fire Nation clutches!”

Zuko glanced over his shoulder, but said nothing. Jei just kept glaring at Katara, her face set in a scowl.

Katara’s anger grew at their silence. “You’re terrible people, you know that?! Always following us, hunting the Avatar, trying to destroy the world’s last hope for peace! But what do you care? You’re the Firelord’s son and his little pet bird girl. Spreading war and violence and hatred is in your blood.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Zuko said. Jei had snarled and snapped at the comments about her, but other than that she kept eerily silent, more concerned about Zuko than herself.

“I don’t?!” Katara snapped. “How dare you! You have no idea what this war has put me through, me personally!” She turned her back to Zuko and collapsed to her knees, bringing a hand up to clutch her mother’s necklace. “The Fire Nation took my mother away from me.” Her voice broke as she began to cry, hugging her knees and hiding her face in them.

Zuko turned around, much to Jei’s surprise. “I’m sorry,” he said calmly. “That’s something we have in common.”

Katara lifted her head and looked back at him, wiping a tear from her cheek.

<><><><>

Toph knelt with her hand on the ground outside the palace, using her earth sense to find the catacombs. “Well what do you know?” she said. “There is an ancient city down there. But it’s deep.” Using Earthbending, she made a tunnel that gave them a head start into the ground.

“We should split up,” Sokka suggested. “Aang, Na li, you two go with Iroh to look for Katara and the angry jerk―no offense.” The last part he directed at Iroh, who simply shrugged and said “None taken.” Sokka then continued with the rest of the plan. “And I’ll go with Toph to warn the Earth King about Azula’s coup.”

As Sokka and Toph left for the palace, Iroh and the Airbenders descended into the tunnel. Aang walked between Iroh and Na li, so the two of them could use their Firebending to make small flames to light the way. Aang deepened the tunnel using Earthbending, then turned to Iroh as they walked. “So, Toph thinks you give pretty good advice. And great tea.”

“The key to both is proper aging,” Iroh said. “What’s on your mind?”

Aang deepened the tunnel again before speaking. “Well, we met with this guru who was supposed to help us master the Avatar State and Dragon State and control this great power. But to do it, we had to let go of someone we loved.” Aang stopped and looked down at the ground. “And I just couldn’t.”

Na li stopped beside Aang and placed a hand on his shoulder. She didn’t say anything, since she’d mastered her Dragon State by letting go of Aang, and all of a sudden, she felt guilty because of it.

“Perfection and power are overrated,” Iroh said. “I think you are very wise to choose happiness and love.”

Aang moved the wall again. “But what happens if we can’t save everyone and beat Azula? Na li mastered her Dragon State, but I left before I could open my last chakra, and blocked it. Without the Avatar State, what if I’m not powerful enough?”

“I don’t know the answer. Sometimes life is like this dark tunnel. You can’t always see the light at the end of the tunnel. But if you just keep moving…”

Aang bent the wall back one final time, unintentionally cutting Iroh off. A breeze rushed in and doused the flames in Iroh’s and Na li’s hands. The three of them stepped into the entrance to the Catacombs, looking around in awe.

“You will come to a better place,” Iroh finished.

<><><><>

“I’m sorry I yelled at you before,” Katara said. She and Zuko stood facing each other, with Jei watching them closely while perched on a large crystal, sharpening her talons.

“It doesn’t matter,” Zuko replied.

“It’s just that for so long now, whenever I would imagine the face of the enemy, it was your face.”

“My face.” Zuko turned away from her, one hand coming up to touch his scar. “I see.”

“No, no. That’s…that’s not what I meant.” Katara took a couple steps toward Zuko, but stopped short when she heard Jei snarl at her.

“It’s okay,” Zuko said, either not hearing or ignoring Jei. “I used to think this scar marked me. The mark of the banished prince, cursed to chase the Avatar forever. But lately, I’ve realized I’m free to determine my own destiny, even if I’ll never be free of my mark.”

“Maybe you could be free of it,” Katara said suddenly.

“What?” Zuko looked back at her.

“I have healing abilities.”

Zuko looked away from her. “It’s a scar. It can’t be healed.”

Katara reached for the string around her neck and pulled out the vial of spirit water from under her shirt. “This is water from the Spirit Oasis at the north pole. It has special properties, so I’ve been saving it for something important.” She walked up to Zuko, standing in front of him while holding the vial between them. “I don’t know if it would work, but…”

Zuko closed his eyes, and Katara gently rested her fingers on Zuko’s left cheek, over his scar. Behind her, a jealous and overprotective Jei narrowed her eyes. Her black nails extended into talons as she crept up silently behind Katara. But, right as she raised her claws to strike, a hole blasted in the wall, and there stood Iroh, Aang, and Na li.

“Aang!” Katara yelled. She ran to Aang and hugged him, while Iroh ran over and hugged Zuko. Aang and Zuko glared at each other over the shoulders of their loved ones, while Jey and Na li locked themselves into a glaredown for the ages.

Katara pulled back and looked at Aang. “Aang, I knew you would come!” She hugged him again, and this time he hugged back.   
Na li watched them out of the corner of her eye, not daring to take her eyes off of Jei. The phoenix girl stared back at Na li, slitted eyes narrowed, black talons spread as if she couldn’t wait to slice Na li to bits with them. The Demi Dragon kept her hand on her sword hilt, ready for a fight.

“Uncle!” Zuko said, pulling away from Iroh and causing Katara and Aang to pull apart as well. “I don’t understand! What are you doing with the Avatar?!”

“Saving you, that’s what,” Aang shot back. His eyes flicked to Jei for a moment before going back to Zuko, making sure she hadn’t moved an inch toward his friend.

Zuko growled and stepped toward Aang, but was held back by his uncle. “Zuko, it’s time we talk,” Iroh said, then turned toward the kids. “Go help your other friends. We’ll catch up with you.”

Aang bowed to Iroh, then gripped Na li’s wrist, watching Jei. Na li’s gaze broke away from Jei to look at Aang, and she nodded to show she was coming. Aang raced off down the tunnel, then Na li sent one last glare toward Jei before following him. Katara trailed along behind them, looking over her shoulder at Zuko before disappearing down the tunnel. 

Jei watched them leave, crossing her arms. _“Soon, Demi Dragon,”_ she whispered in Phoenixian. _“Soon you will meet your fate.”_

Zuko watched Jei, then turned to Iroh. “Why, Uncle?”

“You’re not the man you used to be, Zuko,” Iroh said. “You are stronger and wiser and freer than you have ever been. And now you have come to the crossroads of your destiny. It’s time for you to choose. It’s time for you to choose good.”

Before Zuko could answer, crystals sprung up around Iroh, trapping him in a crystalline cage. Jei snarled and drew her sword, red and yellow flames licking at the silver blade. Zuko fell into a fighting stance, ready to face the intruders. Two Dai Li agents slid in from a new tunnel, Azula standing between them.

“I expected this kind of treachery from Uncle,” Azula said, and Zuko and Jei stepped between her and Iroh to protect him. “But Zuko, _Prince_ Zuko, you’re a lot of things, but you’re not a traitor, are you?”

“Release him immediately,” Zuko growled, clenching his fists. Jei’s eyes blazed beside him, scarlet feathers starting to grow on her skin.

“And what if I don’t?”

“Then I shall cut you down myself,” Jei snarled, raising her flaming sword.

Azula _tsked,_ shaking her head. “If only you could, little bird. You strike me down, and my agents will kill you and your little boyfriend here. And I’m sure you don’t want that.” She stepped forward, extending her hand to Jei. “Join me, Jei. Together, you and I can take down the Avatar and Demi Dragon. We will wipe them from the face of the earth. You will be regarded as a hero, and your mother will have her throne back. All you have to do is side with me.”

Jei’s look softened. A chance to kill the Demi Dragon and return the Spirit Throne to her mother, the rightful queen? That was everything Jei was born to do. And Azula was ensuring she would have that chance. She glanced at Zuko and Iroh, then sheathed her sword and took Azula’s hand. Azula smirked, then pulled Jei toward her. The phoenix girl turned so she stood beside Azula, releasing the princess’s hand and crossing her arms again.

Azula then turned to her brother. “It’s not too late for you, Zuko. You can still redeem yourself.”

“The kind of redemption she offers is not for you,” Iroh said to Zuko.

“Why don’t you let him decide, Uncle?” Azula snapped, then looked at her brother. “I need you, Zuko. I’ve plotted every move of this day, this glorious day in Fire Nation history, and the only way we win is together. At the end of this day, you will have your honor back. You will have Father’s love. You will have everything you want.”

“Zuko,” Iroh pleaded, “I am begging you. Look into your heart and see what it is that you truly want.”

“You are free to choose.” Azula held up a hand, and her agents Earthbent themselves out of the cave. Azula walked toward the tunnel Aang, Na li, and Katara had used to escape, Jei beside her.

<><><><>

The trio ran through the courtyard of the Catacombs, Katara between Aang and Na li. “We’ve gotta find Sokka and Toph!” Katara yelled over the echo of the waterfall.

Aang suddenly stopped and turned around, making a rock wall to defend against the oncoming lightning attack. The wall exploded when the lightning hit, and Aang stumbled back. At the entrance of the tunnel stood Azula, in a lightning-bending stance with two fingers pressed together and her other arm stretched out behind her. Jei stood beside her, white fire curling from her hands.

Katara ran forward, using Waterbending to block a second lightning attack from Azula. Jei used her Firebending to evaporate the water, and steam covered the area between the two parties. Katara backed up to stand beside Aang, and Na li drew her sword, blue scales speckling her skin like freckles. The three of them looked around, waiting for their attackers to show themselves.

Suddenly, Azula leapt out of the steam, using a Firebending boost to shoot herself into the air. She fired two quick shots at Aang and Katara, who shielded themselves using dual Waterbending. While the two were distracted, Jei flew in from the left and attacked Na li, flaming sword drawn. Na li parried the attack using her own sword, then sent Jei sprawling back with an air blast. Azula watched from a stalactite, on which Aang used Earthbending to bring her crashing down.

Azula leapt off the falling pillar and landed on the floor beside Jei, whom she quickly helped to her feet. The two Firebenders stood back to back, Azula facing down both Aang and Katara while Jei stared down Na li. But before anyone could attack, a fire blast came from the tunnel. Everyone turned to see Zuko standing there, his fists still raised in a bending position, sleeves ripped off to show his arms. He stepped forward, looking from Azula to Aang, then stopped. The Airbender gasped, realizing a second before it happened that Zuko was about to attack him. Aang deflected the fire blast with Airbending, leaping backward to avoid getting singed. Azula smirked and sent a blast of fire toward Katara, who blocked with Waterbending. Jei then lunged toward Na li, her sword Honarku blazing in her hands, and Na li blocked the attack with Lynoavai.

Zuko sent multiple fire blasts toward Aang, who ran around dodging using Airbending as a boost. He suddenly stopped and thrust out his chest, sending a human-shaped blast of air toward Zuko. The blast found its mark and sent Zuko flying back into a group of crystals. Aang leapt into the air and sent another blast at Zuko, but the prince rolled out of the way and fired back at Aang, who leapt onto a group of crystals to avoid the blast. Zuko draws into himself, then sends an inferno shooting toward Aang. Aang flew back into another clumping of crystals, and just barely managed to avoid an attack by fire whips from Zuko.

Katara and Azula were locked in a battle by the stream. Katara summoned some water and shot it toward the princess, who just barely managed to dodge and only lose about an inch of hair. The same water blast shot toward Na li, who twirled it around using one hand and fired it at Jei. Jei kicked her foot down, white fire evaporating the water on contact. In Jei’s moment of weakness, Na li charged with her sword, aiming to deliver a fatal blow to the crook of Jei’s neck. Jei parried the attack with her own sword, then kicked Na li’s middle to send her back. Na li stumbled and fell, quickly sheathing her sword before she hit the ground. She rolled backward to get back to her feet, then shot an air blast at Jei, which the phoenix girl easily deflected.

Aang leapt across the walls of the cave, trying to avoid Zuko’s fire whips. He grabbed a stalactite and used Earthbending to bring it down, slamming it into the ground. The impact sent Zuko flying backward, and caused Jei to stumble on her feet. Na li entered the Dragon State and charged, grabbing Jei and slamming her back into the crystals. 

“This ends now!” she snarled.

“Oh, yes, yes it does.” Jei smirked and blasted Na li back with fire, entering her Phoenix State. The girls roared and flew at each other, locked in an aerial battle to the death.

Meanwhile, Katara shot a water blast at Azula, knocking her off-guard. She bent the water around her, giving herself water tentacles. One tentacle covered Azula’s arm, while the other covered her leg. Katara lifted Azula into the air, getting ready to throw her, but Zuko blasted her free with Firebending. Azula smirked at her brother, then turned to Aang, who was just crawling out of his crater, looking disoriented.

Zuko and Katara engaged in a battle of whips, one fire, one water. They fought from across the stream, using their whips to both attack and defend.

“I thought you had changed!” she yelled at him.

“I have changed,” Zuko answered, and sent another blast toward her.

Azula and Aang stared each other down, Aang now out of his crater. She propelled herself forward using her Firebending, while Aang bent the crystals around him for armor before charging her. Azula screeched to a stop and shot the blue fire at Aang, whose crystal armor shattered upon impact and was sent flying into the wall of the cave.

Jei and Na li’s aerial battle took a dramatic turn. Jei shot a fire blast at Na li, who flew up and dodged it. With her Dragon State enhancing her bending, she clapped her wings together in front of her and sent a powerful gust of air toward Jei. The phoenix girl was knocked out of the air and crashed on the ground, leaving a trench in the ground. Jei was disoriented, shakily trying to regain her feet. Na li seized her chance and sent a powerful Waterbending blast toward the phoenix girl, dousing her in water. Jei screamed, some of the water turning to steam when it touched her. She stumbled, falling to her hands and knees, completely drenched in water and forced out of her Phoenix State. Na li smirked and lowered to the ground, folding her wings in behind her as she exited the Dragon State. She stepped toward her opponent and grabbed her by the throat, lifting her up.

“I’m going to enjoy this, phoenix scum,” Na li growled, her dragon eyes narrowed and sharp teeth bared.

Jei managed a smirk. “So will I.”

Na li gasped, her eyes wide, as Jei sliced her talons across her body. Na li released Jei as she fell to her knees, her eyes turning back to normal, one arm wrapped around her chest while the other pressed against the ground. She blinked hard, trying to stay conscious. Through blurred vision, she saw Jei raise her taloned hand for a killing blow, but with the very last of her strength, she thrust her hand out and doused Jei in water again. The blast sent Jei flying back into the wall, knocking her out. Na li struggled to her feet, but winced and collapsed back to the ground, badly wounded.

“Na li!” Katara shouted, terrified for her friend. But before she could help, Azula and Zuko surrounded her. The siblings overpowered her with their combined Firebending, and knocked her back into a group of crystals.

All of a sudden, Aang appeared. He jumped out of the rock wall and slammed into the ground, speeding toward the royal siblings on a hill of rock. Just before he reached the creek, a Dai Li agent landed in front of him and broke the hill, sending Aang flying into the ground. More agents appeared standing on the walls, then jumped down to surround them. Katara quickly got to her feet and pulled water around her to form the octopus move.

Aang stood up, falling into his bending position, but hesitated. He looked around; Zuko and Azula stood before him, both ready to bend, an array of Dai Li agents behind them. Na li lay on the ground near the waterfall, semi conscious, with Jei leaning against the wall, exhausted. Katara was surrounded by Dai Li, keeping them back with her octopus form. “There’s too many,” Aang whispered. Guru Pathik’s voice sounded in his head, like a distant memory resurfacing at the perfect time: _The only way is to let her go._

“I’m sorry, Katara.” Aang turned and bent a crystal shelter around himself and sat down, beginning to meditate. Instantly, he found himself back on the thin bridge of purple light, facing a giant vision of himself in the Avatar State. This time, though, Na li was not on the other side of the planet, having already mastered her Dragon State. Rather than running away like last time, Aang allowed the sphere of energy to be bent around him, and his physical self entered the Avatar State. Outside the dome, Zuko and the array of Dai Li stepped back, watching the crystal dome glow, while Azula crept around behind it, unnoticed by everyone but Na li, whose eyes widened as she realized the princess’s plan. She tried to say something, but was too weak to get the words out.

Inside the dome, Aang opened his eyes, and the dome exploded like a volcano, sending out a blast of air that nearly knocked everyone off their feet. Aang rose into the air, eyes and tattoos glowing from the Avatar State, surrounded by a beam of light. Katara smiled up at him, her eyes filled with hope. Na li, though still trying to stop Azula, couldn’t help but smile as Aang mastered his― 

_BOOM_

A deafening, crackling boom filled the air as Azula struck the Avatar in the back with a lightning bolt. In Aang’s vision, the giant him fell from existence, and he fell to the earth below. His physical body also fell, his clothes charred and smoking from the lightning. Na li whispered a strangled “No” under her breath, and tried to get to her hands and knees, but her injuries kept her on the ground. Katara, tears streaming down her face, bent the water around her to propel her forward, nearly drowning Zuko and the Dai Li agents in order to catch Aang before he hit the ground. She ended up on her knees, holding Aang’s lifeless body in her arms.

Zuko and Azula stepped toward her, ready to attack, but a wall of fire seemingly appeared out of nowhere, blocking them. Iroh jumped down from the wall, landing between Katara and the siblings. “You’ve got to get out of here! I’ll hold them off as long as I can!” Iroh blasted fire at the agents and siblings while Katara pulled Aang’s arm over her shoulder and walked toward the waterfall. On the way, she helped pull Na li to her feet, and supported her as they walked up to the waterfall. Together they made spirals of water that shot them up and out, away from the horrible nightmare below.

As the kids left, Dai Li agents captured Iroh while another group helped Jei walk over to the royal siblings. Zuko looked at his uncle, as if asking him why, but Iroh simply looked away.


End file.
